The Boy Within And the Girl Without
by Jessemudflap
Summary: After one last crushing rejection, Beast Boy decides that being green ain't all it's cracked up to be. But when he cajoles Cyborg into making him a holographic ring to hide his identity, Raven sets out to show him just how stupid he's being.
1. Chapter One

She watched him from the center of the mass of grinding bodies, her smoldering eyes locked with his as her body swayed to the heart-pounding beat of another chopped dance anthem. Her hands, once fisted against the tight material of her low rise jeans, drifted above her head as he wiggled farther down into his seat, blushed painted across his cheekbones. A slow, sultry grin pulled at the woman's mouth.

"Can somebody please tell me why I agreed to come to the opening of this stupid club?"

Beast Boy finally managed to break eye contact with the flirty brunette at Raven's clipped question. Rolling his eyes, he lifted his fourth beer to his lips and nursed it silently.

Across from him, Cyborg shoved a handful of nuts into his mouth. "'Cause we're the honored guests. The owner did set his theme after us since we threw him in jail, ya know. It woulda been rude to leave one of our teammates at home when he did this because he said we set him straight."

Beast Boy grinned behind the long neck of his drink. Cyborg had skillfully left out the fact that Starfire and Robin had fled the scene once they greeted the ex-villain to 'go over some evidence' in privacy back at the Tower. Cyborg was slightly miffed about that, for they thought they were hiding the extent of their relationship from the team. Cyborg took it as an insult to his intelligence that Robin, of all people, would think he wouldn't catch on to the less-than-subtle cover-ups.

"Besides, Raven," Beast Boy chuckled as Cyborg drowned a beer than would never get him buzzed and sighed dejectedly as he put it back down, "half of the guys in here keep sliding you looks."

Raven turned dark eyes to him and scowled, idly letting her fingers dance over the moist rim of her untouched Bloody Mary. "Beast Boy, you know as well as I do that none of those… _boys_ interest me. All they want is a chance to brag about gaining the attention of one of the Titans. If Starfire wasn't taken, they wouldn't even look my way."

He nudged her shoulder. "Come on, Rae, that's not true. Why don't you go out and dance a little? It won't kill you, I promise."

Raven's scowl darkened as she let her eyes roam over the mashing bodies and the pure sexuality expressed in every movement. "It just might. Half of those people don't even know who the hell they're grinding against. I think I'll pass."

He finished the rest of his drink, sliding it to the side when empty. She eyed the growing number of bottles as he popped a grease-drenched fry into his mouth. "How are you not drunk yet?" Raven turned slightly in her seat to study his eyes. "You're not even slightly tipsy."

He sighed, lazily scratching the back of his head while trying to catch sight of the waitress. "I can't get drunk," he said with a hint of moroseness. "Something in my blood prevents it. Believe me, I've tried. Don't you think I tried when I turned twenty-one? I nearly spent every dime I had trying to, but I didn't feel even the slightest buzz… I'm as likely to get drunk as Cyborg is… "

Said cyborg pulled himself out of his seat to throw himself into the middle of the writhing mass of dancers. He was quickly sandwiched between two scantly clad women who then began the process of turning him into a human dancing pole.

Beast Boy propped his chin in his hands and sighed. "Why does Cyborg get all the women? He doesn't even have to try."

Raven eyed him as the two women practically glued themselves to Cyborg in hopes of getting his attention riveted strictly on them. Cyborg, however, was too busy waving around wildly in a strange excuse for a dance. In his estimation, since he was half machine and incapable of being inebriated, the least he could do was _pretend_ to be drunk. As it happened, he was doing a damn good job.

"I'm not throwing myself at him," she stated dryly, eyes dropping to her drink. Her nose wrinkled ever-so-slightly as she hesitantly lifted it to her mouth and sipped. Beast Boy watched her with a growing smile when she sat it down with a grimace.

"Not your style?"

Raven grabbed a black napkin and hastily wiped her mouth. "I hate alcohol. It's disgusting." She pushed the drink toward the growing wall of empty bottles.

"You could try a Long Island Ice Tea. They say you can't taste the liquor."

"They also say it gets you drunk fast. I have no desire to get plastered, then wake up tomorrow and have no idea what I did."

"Or who," Beast Boy added helpfully, chuckling as Raven slammed an elbow into his ribs. With a wince, he reached between them to rub the forming bruise. "Poor Cy. I wonder if he has any idea that those girls probably don't even know their own name, much less who they're dancing with."

Beast Boy glanced up when the waitress slid another beer in front of him. She grinned widely, tossing back a heavy fall of blonde hair and cocking a hip against the table's edge, mere inches away from his hand. "Uh… thanks," he said hesitantly, eyeing the beer in confusion, then sliding his gaze to the hip within grabbing distance. "Umm… do you have a Coke here? Or maybe tea? No alcohol. She's not a big drinker."

The waitress glanced over at Raven with a knowing smile. "Sure, kid. We got Coke and water, but no tea."

Raven wrinkled her nose at her choices, but chose water in the end. The slim waitress nodded, yet made no move to leave. "By the way, kid, the woman over there with her gang of sorority chicks wanted me to give you this." Beast Boy blinked as the waitress handed him a slip of paper. "Said she hoped you enjoyed the drink."

The blonde slunk off to take the order of a group of young college students, leaving the two Titans staring at the tiny slip of paper in Beast Boy's hands. Raven leaned over slightly, shoving an irritated hand through her hair when it fell in front of her eyes.

"What is that?" she asked, eyes lifting from the paper to the crowd, scanning all those women looking in his direction at that particular moment. The woman who had been silently luring Beast Boy the entire night was still dancing, eyes raking down the exposed portion of Beast Boy's body visible from above the table. Around her danced a plethora of unhealthily skinny women, all sneaking glances at the green man besides her. They chattered and giggled every few seconds, leaning in closer to whisper to one another. Their expressions, however, revealed a slight jeer as they followed their dark haired companion's gaze. Immediately, a dusting of unease coated her stomach. Raven's eyes narrowed slightly when she slid a cocky smile directly at Raven.

"It's her name. She wrote down her name." Raven leaned back in her seat, watching the blush bloom along his skin as he stared stupidly at the blue ink. She plucked the paper out of his hands to hopefully liberate him from his love struck daydream. She knew, almost immediately, that whatever these girls had in mind wasn't in Beast Boy's best interest.

"Julie, huh? She doesn't even have her number written down," Raven muttered as she rolled her eyes. "What does she think she is? Mystifying or something? It's just a name. Probably made up, too." She slid the paper back toward him. "I don't think she's all that interesting, if you want the truth. She's been grinding with half the guys on the dace floor." _And she's obviously a pro at whatever game she was dangling in front of you. Don't be stupid, Beast Boy. She isn't doing this because she likes you. _

"I know," he said, almost dreamily.

Raven eyed him disdainfully, legs crossing smartly as she tried to control the urge to knock some serious sense into his thick head. "You _would_ be the one attracted to the girl who practically has 'easy' tattooed across her forehead."

Beast Boy broke from his dream again to blink at her. "Raven, I'm attracted to the girl who actually shows interest in me. In case you haven't noticed, there isn't a mob of obsessed fan-girls beating down my door like in Japan. I'm lucky if I get one piece of mail that isn't from a ten year old girl professing her love to me. I'm twenty-one, Raven, and the only real relationship I've been in was with Terra. If you can call it that," he added with a scowl, angrily taking a long pull from his beer. "There's something seriously wrong with that, you know."

"I haven't been in one."

He sighed softly, plucking moodily at the ragged edges of the paper. "But you've never wanted to be in one. I do. I just want to be in one relationship where someone actually loves me."

Raven shifted slightly in her chair, uncomfortable with the new direction the topic was headed. "She, um… loved you, though."

Beast Boy gave a soft, barking laugh. "She tolerated me. It was Slade she loved. I was just a way into getting into the Tower. Nothing more. I'm surprised she actually let me touch her."

Raven's eyebrows drew together as he sighed and slumped down in his chair, watching the woman with a longing that plucked at something deep within Raven. "Even physical love would be better than nothing. It's been so long I almost forgot what it feels like."

Beast Boy's head lolled to the side to watch her growing unease. The corner of his mouth lifted in a smile. "Squirming yet?"

She glared hotly at him as she forced her body to freeze. "I don't squirm, _Garfield_."

He turned away from her, but the smile was still playing at his lips. "I figured all talk of love—physical or emotional—made you uncomfortable."

"Were you trying to make me uncomfortable, Beast Boy?"

He chuckled slightly. "Always, Raven. Always." He took another drink, but the movement seemed to almost be a task for his hands to do and nothing more.

"Do you even like the taste of that?" She asked, mildly pleased at her subtle topic change.

He glanced at her, blinking, before he shrugged and took another sip. "It's wet. Cheap. So I guess. I mean, it's not bad or anything."

She eyed the ugly brown bottle. "Why do you drink if you don't get anything out of it?"

Beast Boy shrugged. "Dunno. 'Cause I can? That, and ladies love a man who can hold their alcohol." He laughed at the look of irritation crossing her features. "But really, it's not that bad." He held the bottle out to her. "Wanna try?"

She shrank back slightly, eyeing the beer almost as if it were going to morph into Trigon. "I don't think—"

"Come on, Rae. It won't kill you." She started at it for a long moment, debating on if she were stupid enough to try.

"If you're worried about drinking after me, you can always wipe it off, or I can get the waitress to bring a shot glass—"

"It's not that," she hastily added, surprised at the fact that he'd even thought of such a concern. "It's just I know I'm not going to like it. Alcohol and I do _not _see eye to eye."

He grinned. "Come on, Rae. You're finally able to try it legally and you pass it up? I promise it's not that bad. Not my favorite, but still, it won't ruin your gothic persona."

Raven frowned slightly, but found her hand reaching for it. The glass was cool and moist in her hand, but she still found herself hesitating to try it.

Beast Boy's grin was getting wider and wider. "Come on, Rae, it's a beer. If I can handle it, don'tcha think you can?"

She sighed almost inaudibly before lifting the bottle to her lips. For a brief moment, her mind decided to bring up the fact that her mouth was touching the glass that Beast Boy's lips had recently wrapped around, but it dissipated the moment she got a good taste of beer. She hastily handed it back to him, coughing at the almost bitter tang. "That's horrible, Beast Boy," she gasped. "How can you drink that?"

She shuddered slightly as the taste lingered on her tongue. "I need to wash this taste out," she mumbled, pulling herself off the tall chair and hastily adjusting her simple black jeans. "That's… just gross."

He laughed, a grin pulling at his mouth until Raven got a good view of sharp white fangs. "Okay, okay, so it isn't that good, but still. Aren't you glad you at least gave it a try?"

She threw him a smoldering look, arms folded over her chest. "That is the last time I let you talk me into trying anything."

He couldn't smother his amused grin. "Here, let me make it up to you. I'll go get that water you were supposed to get, okay? I guess she got too busy to bring it… so just sit back down and try not to gag at the taste." He left her at the booth, her eyes drilling into his back to keep a close eye on him.

He was still chuckling as he pushed his way to the bar, where the owner was quickly doling out liquor. "Yo, Beast Boy," he greeted with a wide smile, hands constantly reaching for colorful bottles of alcohol but eyes locked on him. "What can I get for you?"

Beast Boy had to raise his voice above the chatter and music pounding around the small building. "Raven doesn't handle liquor well, so she needs water or something tame like that." His grin widened and the group of girls he has broke into eyed him with interest. "Tried to get her to try beer. Didn't work well."

The reed-thin ex-villain behind the counter chuckled, stopping only long enough to reach below the counter to pluck a bottle of water out of the fridge. He slid it towards Beast Boy without glancing up at reaching for another bottle. "Need anything else?"

"Yeah, how 'bout just a straight shot of vodka?"

"Comin' right—"

"Make it two, Danny." Beast Boy blinked when the girl from the dance floor weaseled in beside him, arms folded across the bar. Her elbow knocked into a pale redheaded girl's drink, spilling it across the counter. She ignored it — and the girl who leapt up to keep her drink from hitting her lap – instead turning to him with a smirk. Her dark brown eyes raked down his form.

"Haven't I seen you somewhere before? You look familiar, but I can't put my finger on why… "

Beast Boy was slightly surprised. Was she so drunk she her mind couldn't digest the fact that he was _green_? He was almost positive that there wasn't anyone else the same color as he was. "Umm… maybe, if you watch the news… " _And read magazines… or browse through the Internet... or walk down the street…_

The man behind the bar handed them their drinks, his eyes narrowed slightly behind thick black glasses. Beast Boy twisted the shot glass in his hand before quickly downing the burning liquid. He reveled in the hot burn of it down his throat and stomach, before his blood quickly washed out the toxins and left him as sober as ever.

"Oh, I know you! You're Beast Boy, from the Titans! No wonder you look so familiar! Didn't you defeat all these bad guys a few years back?"

"Umm… yes?" Beast Boy slid the empty glass back across the bar, confused by the girl. Now that she was up in front of him, he realized she wasn't as beautiful as he thought. Sweat ran down her temple and curved down her jaw to skim across a shirt that threatened to fall off her chest at any given moment. Mascara was smudged beneath eyes so dark it was hard to differentiate between the iris and the pupil. He had always been more of a pale-eyed kind of guy…

"Well," he said after a long, uncomfortable pause, her looking him up and down like a horse at auction and him squirming uncomfortably. "I better go give this to my friend, so… umm… thanks for the beer. I appreciate it, uh, Julie."

Julie blinked slowly, almost as shocked by the fact that he wasn't drooling at her feet before she smiled. "Say, why don't I introduce you to my sorority friends? We came down here from Gotham to support our football team and we really don't know anyone here. It'd be nice to know a familiar face if we come clubbing in Jump City again."

She held out her hand to him, index curling up in a slow come-hither fashion. Beast Boy swallowed nervously, shooting the bartender a glance almost in question. The ex-villain gave a slow, unsure shrug, leaving Beast Boy to make his own choice. After a brief debate, Beast Boy followed her to the dance floor.

She turned and grabbed his hand; pulling him along behind her while she led the way to her friends. Her hips were swinging to the beat before they even hit the floor. Beast Boy was so entranced by the movement that he didn't even realize she had pulled him into a huge circle of giggling sorority girls, most of whom were spilling out of shirts two sizes too small, just like their leader. Beast Boy blushed and slid his eyes to the ceiling.

"Girls, I'd like for you to meet Beast Boy."

Beast Boy, unused to having so many pairs of female eyes locked on him, lifted a hesitant hand in greeting while still keeping his eyes locked on the cracked plaster ceiling.

"So you're a shape-shifter, huh?" A busty bleached blonde scooted to his side, a manicured finger dancing along his arm as she glanced up at him with a sultry flutter of eyelashes. His eyes refused to stay put, instead slowly lowering to her heaving chest. He blushed harder. "What can you change into?"

He watched her fingers as she slid them up his bicep and squeezed gently before making a trail back down to his clawed fingers. She reached around him to pluck Raven's water from his hand and pass it to another Barbie replica. "Umm… animals," he managed to stammer, eyes widening slightly when another woman, brunette this time, latched on to his other arm.

"Animals, huh?" She purred, sliding a glance toward the blonde, who decided his ears were more interesting than his claws. "What kind of animals?"

"Er… um, mammals. Amphibians. Prehistoric animals, and sometimes alien animals. It… depends on what's needed at the time." Beast Boy was quite proud of himself for saying a decent sentence, despite the fact that the brunette was trailing a hand down his spine. She stopped at the curve of his butt and pouted prettily. "Aw, no tail?"

Beast Boy felt himself turn an interesting shade of red. "Umm… "

"So what else can you change?" Beast Boy could only watch mutely as a tiny redhead slithered up to him, pasting herself against his front and playing with the buttons of his collared shirt. "After all, if you can shift into any animal you want, can't you shift… certain… _parts _as well?"

Beast Boy slid his eyes to the ceiling again and concentrated on keeping his voice from cracking. "Ah, no. My DNA is the only thing that lets me shift, which means… ah… umm… the animal form I take… is, ah… " Beast Boy decided it was probably best to just shut up as a third girl – another blonde – eased beside the redhead and trailed abnormally long nails against his abdomen.

"So does your personality have any animalistic traits to it?" When the girls around her raised an eyebrow in confusion, she rolled her eyes as if she were used to her words sailing over their head. "What I mean to say is, does the animal in you take over any time. Maybe during training, or fighting, or… sex, maybe?"

While the group of girl around him giggled, Beast Boy decided his poor mind couldn't handle anymore questions of that nature. So Beast Boy turned the tables on them and let a slow, predatory smile slip over his features. While the girls around him gasped and murmured in surprise, Beast Boy plucked his hand from the first blonde and wrapped his fingers around the third girl's chin. "How about I let you find out for yourself?" Beast Boy couldn't stop the grin from spreading when the girl's breath caught in her throat and her eyes widened in shocked amazement.

Her eyes never left his as he slowly lowered his face toward hers. Despite the music pounding around him and the whispers of the sorority circle, Beast Boy could hear her heart hammer in her chest and her scent cloud with lust. Before he could kiss the girl, however, Julie jerked the girl back so sharply she stumbled.

Beast Boy blinked as Julie laughed softly, waving away both of the women clinging to him. She attached her pelvis to his. "You'll have to forgive Diane. She tends to throw herself at men all the time. But enough chatting." Beast Boy lifted his gaze to the still shocked blonde, who was still watching him with wonder. The girls around her tittered and poked at her playfully, but she was unresponsive. Something flickered in her light brown eyes as she came down from her high.

"Julie," she said, hands wringing as she took a hesitant step forward, "I don't think this is such a good idea anymore. It seems—"

"Diane!" Julie whipped her head around to pin the smaller girl with a glare so hot Diane flinched. "What are you talking about? You said you wanted to get to know someone here, and we are, so why don't you go and get us all a round of drinks? Your treat," she added cheerfully, watching the girl walk away until she was no longer in view.

When she locked her eyes back on Beast Boy, all trace of fury was gone, replaced by a barely suppressed longing. Beast Boy frowned, concerned about how quickly she could change emotions. What was wrong with this girl?

"Why don't you come over here and dance with me? You can only talk so much to these girls before topics start to get redundant." To help get his mind off Diane, she slid one hand up his shirt, resting it against his hip and skimming a manicured finger down the pronounced groove of muscle between the hipbone.

Beast Boy studied her eyes for a moment before shrugging hesitantly. After all, what could one dance hurt?

* * *

Raven refused to take her eyes off him.

Something hot and rancid had coated her stomach when that Julie girl had cornered him at the bar with a demented curve of her lips. Just by glancing at her from afar had lighted Raven to sinister plots beneath that makeup-slathered face. How could Beast Boy wiling go with her? Was he really that stupid? That naïve? Or was he just hoping he could get lucky? Raven proceeded to seethe at the thought.

Cyborg watched his teammate with barely suppressed amusement. He had come back from the dance floor moments after Beast Boy had been dragged away by the attractive brunette. Raven had pretty much gone downhill from there. Her eyes had remained as narrowed slits as Beast Boy proceeded to flirt with the circle of sorority girls and nearly kiss one of them. Cyborg couldn't figure out if she was jealous of the fact that Beast Boy's attention was being taken over or the fact that he seemed to be truly enjoying himself. Either way, Raven was not a happy camper… not that she had been from the start.

Cyborg popped some of Beast Boy's fries into his mouth to hide his grin. "You know, Raven, the worst that can happen is him actually getting laid." At Raven's low growl, Cyborg grinned. "Come on, Raven. He needs a little love. For all we know, he never touched Terra, so this will do him some good. He'll probably leave you alone from now on if things go right."

Raven eyed her untouched Bloody Mary, briefly debating on tossing it –glass and all—at the amused Cyborg… but he was right on one count. What if things did go right for him and he never bothered her again? Okay, yes, so he annoyed the hell out of her with his stupid jokes and childish laughter and less than endearing pranks, but how would life be without all that? Would she finally be able to read through one full book without any Beast Boy disturbances? Would she be able to mediate without having Beast Boy try to scare the hell out of her by shifting into a lion and roaring behind her? Would she finally have some solace in life without him trying to make her laugh or crack a smile?

She pondered over this for a good while, fingers taping a rhythmic beat against the tabletop. It would be nice to be able to live her life in silence. There would be no more interruptions; no more glancing over shoulder to make sure he wasn't creeping behind her in hopes of eliciting some form of emotion from her. She could finally get through one session of meditation without his interruptions, sit down and read more than a paragraph in a novel without his insistent chatter outside her door. There would be no more stupid jokes, no more urges to wrap her hands around his throat to cut off his tirade of meaningless chatter. There would be peace in Raven's chaotic life. It was bad enough having the damn tower alarm buzzing in her ear every hour, but having Beast Boy hop around her with those less than adorable jokes (which had, to Raven's unfortunate ears, become much more… sexually oriented than she would have liked) was quickly driving her to the brink of insanity.

Raven slid her eyes toward Beast Boy, ignoring the tick throbbing on her forehead when Beast Boy proceeded to grind hesitantly against that Julie girl. Raven shoved down the urge to forcefully separate them and instead concentrated on the potential promise of silence.

Raven knew without a doubt that she wanted the silence so bad it was almost a physical ache. She wanted peace and tranquility and everything she could never have when Beast Boy's attention was leveled on her… but despite her longing for silence, Raven still couldn't relinquish the unease that gnawed at her stomach. She chewed on the inside of her lip as the brunette's fingers dipped slightly into the band of Beast Boy's jeans.

She sighed heavily. Yes, she wanted silence, and yes, she wanted Beast Boy to finally grow up and stop being such a damn annoyance, but not at the expense of him getting his heart broken once more. This girl would end up chewing him into little pieces and spitting his remains out without a thought or smidgen of guilt. Despite his past, Beast Boy was still innocent at heart and Raven feared that this Julie would end up breaking what was left of him.

Then again, maybe she was jumping to conclusions. She did have a tendency to over think others' actions. After all, she had thought that Robin was pushing Starfire away because he was worried about losing her, not because he was terrified of how she made him feel. Maybe this girl, despite her less than innocent actions, was good for him.

Raven suppressed a shudder. If Beast Boy was happy, then she should be happy for him.

Right?

Raven picked up the frayed slip of paper Julie had slipped him. Beast Boy needed… action, as Cyborg had said, despite the fact that Raven was _not_ pleased with his choice. He needed someone to love him, some one who he thought about when he woke up in the morning and whose image flittered behind his eyelids at night. He needed this, the attention and desire another woman could provide for him. He would finally be able to gather the shattered pieces of his ego that Terra had had left behind and be happy.

And in return, Raven would finally be able to gain the silence she longed for.


	2. Chapter Two

Cyborg had never been so amused in his life.

It had been less than fifteen minutes since Beast Boy had been carted off to the dance floor and pulled into a completely different world. Julie had, in that short time slot, managed to not only teach Beast Boy how to dance, but antagonize the demon across from him without actually speaking to her. Raven was watching them calmly, eyes locked on their swaying forms. To the human eye, Raven was casually keeping a close eye on her teammate. To Cyborg, who had cataloged every emotion flittering across her features, Raven was only moments away from leaping up and trying to sabotage Beast Boy's potential dating opportunity. He had already watched her rise from her seat, then quickly drop back down, then repeating the process every few minutes or so. Cyborg knew that Raven was uneasy about the woman attached to Beast Boy's pelvis, but couldn't figure out exactly why.

Cyborg popped a fry into his mouth, happily watching Raven clench and unclench her fists, greedy eyes watching the couple like a hawk. The only problem was, Cyborg had no idea if she was jealous—it seemed too far a jump for Raven, but Cyborg refused to let that dampen his fun—or if she was worried about Beast Boy losing his innocence. Of course, Cyborg knew that Beast Boy wasn't as physically innocent as most people thought (he _was_ his best friend, after all. There was little Cyborg didn't know about the little green man), but emotionally, Beast Boy had the heart of a child.

After losing his parents, being used for evil, pulling away from the Doom Patrol, and then having Terra rip him to shreds, Beast Boy had been forced to lock away what surviving remnants of his heart he had left and guard it from the reach of others, and so as the years passed it grew whole and healthy once more, rebuilding the emotions that had been previously demolished. It took six years, but Beast Boy's heart was once more like that of a newborn: untouched by the vile hands of humanity. Somehow, despite all the pain he had gone through, Beast Boy had managed to rebuild himself from scratch without letting anything get past his barriers.

So maybe that was the reason why Raven watched the circle of college girls with an air of unease. Cyborg wished Raven _were_ jealous—it would help distil the boring Oh-Starfire-and-I-aren't-copping-a-feel-every-time-you-turn-your-back-because-we're-unattched-superheroes-who-don't-believe-in-sex-without-marriage bullshit Robin thought he was playing off—and add some excitement to the tower. Jealous Raven would be fun as hell to watch. But as for now, Raven was probably only watching them with intensity of a stalker because she was worried about his well-being. Not _as_ fun, but still entertaining as hell.

As Cyborg signaled the waitress to reorder another basket of fries, Raven slouched down further in her seat, hands still wringing. The urge to poke through the college girls' heads was growing more appealing as the seconds passed and Julie found that grinding a certain way made Beast Boy go rigid. The entourage of giggling girls swarming around the dancing pair did nothing to help Raven rein in her urge to go snooping.

When the blonde waitress had gone into the back to fetch his food, Cyborg propped his elbows on the table and leaned forward, grinning foolishly at Raven until she turned her attention to him. Her eyebrows lowered in confusion.

"Why do you have that stupid look on your face?"

His grin widened. "'Cause it's rare to see you jealous."

Cyborg, thrilled at the fact that Raven couldn't touch him in public, ignored the piercing glare she sent him and cockily lounged back against his chair. "You've been watching them like a dumped lover. Is there something you forgot to tell me?"

Raven snarled, eyes flashing in irritation. "No," she growled. "Not only am I not jealous, but Beast Boy and I never…why am I telling you this? This is none of your business. And don't try to make something of nothing. I am merely making sure they don't do anything to corrupt the Titan image."

Cyborg stared at her, shocked, before he burst into loud, obnoxious guffaws. "Oh, that's rich!" He choked on a snort of laughter, hands waving wildly. "You, caring about the image of the Titans? Dude, you've gotta think of better lies!"

Raven seethed as Cyborg continued to laugh. When he had to stop and fight for breath, Raven said, "You know the Justice League had been riding us about our public image, especially since it was plastered all across the papers that Robin and Starfire are an item. Batman was not pleased, as you may recall. We don't need any more attention drawn to us, especially when it's Beast Boy involved. Things tend to get blown out of proportion when it comes to him."

Cyborg leaned back as the blonde dropped his fries before him, as well as a slip of paper. She winked coyly before strutting off with a hefty swish of her hips. Cyborg watched the movement as he deftly slipped the paper into a side department built into his arm. "Come on, Raven, that was five years ago! Batman let go of the reigns since he and Diane married. And remember Superman? He really doesn't have a lot of room to talk."

"No, Bruce married Diane, not Wonder Woman. Also, Clark married Lois. Superman didn't. There is no alternate identity for us. Starfire will always be Starfire and Robin will always be Robin. All we can say for Robin is that his real name is Richard Grayson. We are who we are. We can't hide anything from anyone. If Beast Boy does something stupid, he won't be able to hide from it. I'm just keeping an eye on him so he doesn't do anything to ruin himself."

Cyborg shoveled fries into his face as he tried to find a way around her excuse. It was valid, yes, but not the reason Raven was so intent on watching Beast Boy lose his emotional virginity. Cyborg was dead set on the notion that there was more to Raven's curiosity. After all, Raven had been iffy around Terra, as well. She didn't like Terra to begin with, even without knowing she was a traitor. Yeah, okay, so maybe there had been some underlying knowledge that something was off with her, but come _on_. The minute she flirted with Beast Boy, Raven was on edge.

Well, so maybe it was reaching a bit too far, but the chemistry was just… there between Beast Boy and Raven. Maybe is was Cyborg making it up, or maybe he was more in tune with his emotions that he ever dreamed, but there was _something_. Maybe attraction, maybe lust, maybe opposing personalities, but it was enough to have Cyborg rooting for them. From the beginning, there had always been some strange force between the two. After the team had been formed, you couldn't say one name without the other. They were always connected in some form or another, whether it be, "Raven, you and Beast Boy do this," or, "Beast Boy, shut up before Raven kills you", or "_Raven!_ _Don't_ _flush Beast Boy down the toilet!_" But what had started Cyborg on his canon shipping—despite the fact that this was real life—was the whole Beast incident. There _had_ to be something more behind that. Why else would the beast inside of him protect her? The beast had been full of rage and hate, yet had shoved it all aside to protect her? He didn't protect Starfire, or Cyborg—Robin hadn't deserved protection, anyway, in Cyborg's opinion. It had been Raven the Beast went to. So, that little tidbit was enough to have Cyborg believe that there was a possible _something_ between them, even if neither one would admit it.

"Well, at least she's not sticking her tongue down his throat."

Raven glanced at them, eyebrow twitching. "You jinxed it," she stated with a scowl.

Cyborg smiled coyly. "Just remember; Beast Boy loses all kinds of virginity, you gain a whole lot of silence. You know, I wonder what Beast Boy will gain when you lose your virginity—hey, hey! Don't you dare throw that at me! Don't you know how hard it is to get the stain from tomato juice off of metal?"

Raven lowered her drink, eyes smoldering. "It'll slide right off, Cyborg. And don't ever say anything like that again, do you understand?"

Cyborg eyed her hand, still wrapped firmly around her drink, but decided to plow forward anyway. "Well, considering you'll probably lose it to him anyway—"

Raven leaned forward slowly, one brow arched calmly as a frosty smile tugged at her naked lips and her hands clenched in her lap. "Do you have a death wish, Cyborg?"

Cyborg flashed a snarky grin. "I backed myself up before coming just in case."

Raven didn't realize she was fisting her hands so hard they bled until Cyborg gently pried them open and wiped the red smears off with a black napkin. "Come on, Rae," he soothed, rubbing a metal thumb along the tiny grooves of broken skin. "You know I'm just messing with you. I didn't mean to make you _this_ upset. But the good thing is, I don't think you'll ever have to worry about losing anything like that to Beast Boy. Anything romantically involved with him seems like a lost cause now."

Raven lifted her eyes to Cyborg, momentarily forgetting about her rage at his aloof comment. His human eye was calm as he jerked his head in the shape shifter's direction. "It seems as if you might have a quieter life ahead of you after all."

Raven knew it was probably in her best interest not to look at him, but found herself curious. What were they doing, stripping down on the floor? Raven tried to dislodge the less than… appetizing… image as she let her eyes drift over the crowd. It wasn't hard to find them, despite the floor being crammed together like sardines in a mint can.

What was hard, Raven decided after the shock had worn off, was the way her heart seemed to squeeze tightly at the sight that met her eyes. Ravens kept her emotions cool as she watched the brunette lean up to Beast Boy and press her mouth almost lovingly against his. Beast Boy seemed to go rigid at the first brush, but relaxed quickly, hands resting almost perfectly against the curve of her waist. Raven noted almost dully that his one small movement seemed to spurn her on, for the simple kiss started to gain heat. Before long, the girl, Julie, had turned the kiss into something that seemed to be taken straight out of a porn movie. Her hands were on his hips, index fingers locking into the loops of his jeans and tugging him as close as she could.

Beast Boy, at first, seemed a little daunted by the strength (and the clear experience) of this kiss, but seemed to catch on quick. Raven raised an eyebrow when he seemed to kiss back with the force of someone who knew what they were doing.

Cyborg gave a long, low whistle. "Either he's a fast learner or Beast Boy was keeping a lot hidden from us."

"He's only been with Terra," she snapped, frowning deeply when Cyborg's lips curved in amusement. She hadn't meant for it to come out like that…

"Really? None of those girl is Japan were with him? Last time I checked, he was quite the lady killer in Japan."

Raven tried to keep herself composed as she said, "Last time I checked, Beast Boy was only fifteen in Japan."

Cyborg took a drag of his beer to keep from bursting into giggles at the fury in the half-demon's eyes. "And your point is? Robin and Starfire probably

started—"

"Do not say another word, Cyborg." Raven suppressed a shudder as unwanted images flittered behind her closed eyelids.

"Come on, Raven. Do you really think Beast Boy got away with his virginity in Japan, even at fifteen? He was constantly being jumped by some obsessed girl. You know," he said after a brief paused, cupping his metal hands around his chin, "I wonder what happened between him and that ink cat girl. I wasn't able to see their fight, but he seemed to be a little dazed when I finally fought my way out of—"

"Cyborg," she said slowly, fire dripping through each syllable of his name.

He grinned innocently. "Why, Raven, we're merely discussing a teammate. Unless, of course, you're jealous of the fact that other women have gotten a hold of our naïve little Beast Boy."

There was a brief moment of maniacal glee in her eyes as she debated on her best form of action (Mental torture? Holding the TV remote hostage?) before she sighed. The press would have a field day if she drove her own teammate to insanity.

"We shouldn't be discussing… Beast Boy… in this manner. If he's… been with other girls, then that's his business, not mine. I don't care what he does-"

"Or who," Cyborg supplied happily.

Raven chose to ignore him for the moment. "That is his business, not ours. He's a grown man, now."

But Cyborg was no longer watching her. His eyes were on Beast Boy. "You ain't lying," he said in an awed voice.

Raven heaved a sigh. She really didn't want to see what they were doing now, but there was no way she couldn't. It would drive her mad the rest of the night if Cyborg knew about something that she didn't.

With a brave face, Raven glanced back into the crowd, only to feel her heart shutter and stop in her chest. Was her hand… was she sticking her hand down his _pants_?

Beast Boy seemed as shocked as she was. He jerked back quickly, nearly crashing into a grinding couple in his haste to get away. He turned and hastily apologized, hands waving frantically. Julie looked amused as he hurriedly smoothed down his clothes and tried to gather his frayed composure.

Raven was nearly out of her seat when Cyborg pushed her down, both metal hands pressed against her shoulders. "Relax, Raven. He can take care of himself, I promise."

"She tried to _molest_ him on the _dance floor_."

Cyborg fought down a chuckle. "She wasn't molesting him, Raven. She's probably the same age as he is. Besides, I'm sure that if she had done that behind closed doors…"

"Cyborg, you are _this_ close to being dismembered and being tossed in a scrap yard… again." Raven tried to shrug his hands off, but her efforts were to no avail. She settled with pinning him with the most lethal glare in her arsenal.

Cyborg was daunted for a brief moment before he grinned. "It's a public place, Rae. You can't touch me until we're out of civilian sight. Until then, I'm_ so_ safe." He grinned unabashedly and turned his head, hands still planted firmly on her shoulders. "Ah look, they're dancing again and, oh, what is this? She seems to be sucking on his neck. Ouch, I think she just bit him. That is so going to leave a mark. Oh, oh, yes, it did leave one. I can see it from here… a hickey looks weird on him, you know."

Raven refused to let any emotion play on her face, instead opting to stare at a place directly over his right shoulder. At least this way she didn't have to _see_ Cyborg's play by play. Listening to it was bad enough. Why did he insist on telling her what Beast Boy was doing? It wasn't like she cared what they were doing. If this was what it took to get some silence in her life, so be it…

But damn, did they have to do _that_ in front of her?

Beast Boy could romp around between that girl's sheets all he wanted, but it was unnecessary to do that here within her peripheral vision. Raven let her eyes flutter close. Raven knew the only reason she was so annoyed was because Beast Boy was supposed to be an idol. He was a hero, for crying out loud. Heroes were supposed to portray themselves with dignity and poise, not flaunt around some cheesy night club with some woman fishing around in his pants. It just wasn't _right_.

"She's got her hands in his pants again."

Raven whipped around so fast her neck cracked. Cyborg, startled, let his hands rise for a fraction of a second. "Cyborg," she seethed quietly. "I suggest you let me up so when can get him away from her before we're charged with public indecency." It was too much. He could kiss the girl until his tongue fell out, but damn it, he was not going to get… _that_ in public view with Raven sitting in clear sight.

Cyborg gave a quick glance around him. "Raven, look around you. That girl over there just took her shirt off and is working on her bra. That guy? He's pushed his girls skirt so high she's actually hanging out. And that grinding over there… it looks more than just a dance. I don't think Beast Boy is in danger of being slapped with any charge involving public indecency. He'll at least have a warning."

Raven tried another approach. "And what if the press is here? Do you really want them snapping a picture of a girl shoving her hands down Beast Boy's pants? What would that say about the Titans? And how do you think the Justice League will handle it? If they frowned on Starfire and Robin holding hands, think about what'll happen when they see Beast Boy getting a little more than just his hand held." Raven's eyebrows drew together as she tried futilely to stop the image that invoked. She did _not_ need to think of that part of Beast Boy at any time in her life…

Of course, now that she thought of it, she'd never be able to look at him without blushing…

Cyborg finally looked unsure. "Well… then we deal with it then."

Raven's jaw clenched. There was just no talking to Cyborg when it came to Beast Boy. He had, and always would, take the green man's side, especially when it came to the rare moments when Beast Boy had any form of contact with the opposite sex. With a heavy sigh, Raven scooped a hand through her short, choppy hair. But maybe this was good—besides the way Beast Boy was going about starting his relationship—for everyone. Beast Boy would get… laid, Cyborg would finally have something productive to say about Beast Boy's life that had nothing to do with tofu, and Raven? Raven would have peace, quite, tranquility, all things missing from her life at the moment. Despite the fact that Raven did not want to see their foreplay in a public place, she conceded to herself that maybe this was good for Beast Boy. He would be happy and Raven would finally get the peace that she wanted.

But damn if she wasn't annoyed at Cyborg and his unrealistic logic.

"You," Raven said after a long, thoughtful pause, "are so aggravating."

"But loveable," he grinned, shoving a handful of greasy fries into his mouth. "Oh so loveable."


	3. Chapter Three

"You're a virgin, aren't you?"

Beast Boy briefly stopped concentrating on keeping rhythm with the hips grinding against his long enough to asked a detached, "What?"

"You're a virgin. You have no idea what you're doing. It's… kind of obvious."

Beast Boy stopped moving completely, cheeks flaming red, but Julie merely laughed softly. "It's no big deal. I always enjoy playing teacher."

It took him a minute to catch on to her meaning, and when it finally clicked, he blushed harder. "Oh. Um, actually, I'm not…"

Julie eased her fingers into his belt loop, gently urging him to move his hips slowly from side to side. When he finally managed to grasp on to the speed she wanted, she eased herself closer to him so the buttons of his jeans bit into her torso. "You're not?"

Beast boy found himself staring at everything but her as he gave a carefree shrug of his shoulders. "Well, it was only once, and I was only fifteen, but still. It counts."

"Fifteen? Once? And how old are you now?" Julie took notice that he wasn't paying a lick of attention to her, so she decided to remove his fingers from his belt loops, only to skim them along the band of his jeans. He jumped slightly, but still, his eyes remained on anything but her. She bit down the urge to snap at him, get his attention in a nasty way, but she reigned in the banshee in her, instead easing her head down against his collarbone and debated on her next course of action.

Beast Boy's gaze tangled with Cyborg's for a moment, the mechanical man's mouth spreading in a grin so wide it looked as if it hurt. He winked, hefted his thumbs up and pointedly ignored the heated whispers of Raven. Beast Boy managed a weak smile in the cyborg's direction before he risked a glance at Raven. But instead of ignoring him as usual, she turned her attention to him fully.

Beast Boy balked slightly, quickly pulling his eyes away from her and finally glancing down at the dark head against his collarbone. Thankfully, Julie was short in stature, so Beast Boy was, for once in his life, taller than a romantic interest. It was actually kind of nice, now that he thought it about it. Since he had only been around Starfire and Terra, it was different having a woman besides Raven look up at him. Beast Boy cringed slightly, perfectly aware that Raven was stalking him with her eyes.

But that shouldn't matter, right? He wasn't doing anything wrong. He was dancing with a girl… who just happened to be slipping her hands down his pants again. Beast Boy had been so absorbed in trying desperately to ignore Raven that he didn't notice what she was doing until he hand found her prize.

He yelped loud enough to have the people close enough jumping in surprise. Beast Boy tried to jerk back, but her hand tightened slightly. He froze completely, at a total loss as what to do. He wanted to move away, get away from this touchy girl as fast as he could. It wasn't though he didn't like it, or even want it, but Beast Boy had enough self-respect for himself than to do this in public. This wasn't right, nor was it really tempting in any way.

Beast Boy closed his eyes, flinching when she clinched her hand. Beast Boy gently tugged at her wrist, pulling her away from him and setting her hand on his waist. Julie cocked a brow.

"Sorry," he managed to choke out, "but… we're in a crowded place. I can't… not with me being a…"

"I understand." She smiled at him, but there was something off with her eyes. They were… almost… cruel. She rested her head against his chest again, eyes closing so Beast Boy was unable to read more into her expression.

He made his body relax as she gently swayed with him despite the fast tempo of another rap song. Something hot and unsettling coated his stomach, but again, he ignored it.

Julie stopped moving, hands slinking down to his belt loops again. He froze, took a deep breath in preparation to stop her again, but instead, she raised on hand to grab the back of his neck to pull his mouth down to hers.

XxX

Raven made a sound of disgust as Beast Boy went right back to make out with his slutty stranger. It was bad enough that Beast Boy had managed to gain the attention of at least three dozen people when he squealed, but now, they were whipping out cell phones to take pictures of him. Cyborg, of course, saw no harm.

"Come on, Beast Boy needs this. People will know now that Beast Boy can actually get the girl despite his skin color."

"There is nothing wrong with his skin color, Cyborg."

A slow, stupid grin pulled at the cyborg's mouth. Raven glared and poked a finger in his direction. "I know what you're thinking and that's not how I meant it."

"Mmm-hmm," Cyborg hummed, cackling gleefully. "Raven and Beast Boy, sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-_yeowch_!"

As Raven retracted her nails from the human skin of his forearm, Cyborg pouted. "Aw, come on, Ravey. I was just playing around you know that. But," he added, grabbing hold of the beer that the blonde waitress had sat down earlier, "green and purple really do go together."

"You must be colorblind as well as stupid," she muttered, eyeing her still untouched Bloody Mary. It was actually starting to sound appealing.

"Okay, okay, no more jabs and you and Beast Boy's slow-coming romance."

Raven closed her eyes and counted to a hundred while Cyborg snickered in joy. She had just hit seventy-four when Cyborg let out a long, low whistle. Raven cracked her eyes open slightly. "What?"

"Seems like she fishing again, 'cept this time, Beast Boy ain't complaining."

Cyborg watched a tick form over her eyebrow in amusement.

"Cyborg," she ground out, "in case you've forgotten, people have cell phones out."

"Yeah, so?"

"They're recording him and that… girl."

Cyborg blinked slowly. "Yeah… and?"

Raven hissed. "One of those people will send that to a news station and air it, so if you're not going to do anything, I am."

Cyborg had expected her response, so his hands had already settled on her shoulder's before she even thought of moving. She snarled at him, but he refused to relent.

"Come on, Ravey—"

"Stop _calling me that_."

"Things are going to work out. No one is going to air that and Beast Boy will finally get the good stuff, so just sit back down and relax." He removed one hand to shove the basket of fries in her direction. "So grab a handful and watch the show, 'cause this might be the last time we see Beast Boy as a single man."

When Raven seemed to slip from murderous rage to annoyed fury, Cyborg removed his hands and swiveled in his seat. "Now, let's watch the… what the hell?"

Suddenly, Cyborg was serious, human eye narrowed and mouth setting into a straight line. He sat up straighter, quickly ensnaring Raven's attention. She was instantly on edge.

"What?" she asked, uncaring that her voice came out as a bark.

Cyborg stayed quiet, instead watching as Beast Boy pulled back from Julie, a look of clear disbelief skittering across his face. Julie was saying something to him, face set in a smug, cruel smile. Almost at once, the circle of sorority girls gathered around him, giggling and whispering behind their hands. Both teammates watched in fury as the disbelief fell from his face, only to be replaced by a knee buckling pain.

Both were nearly out of their seat and across the floor when something caught Raven's attention. Raven jerked around to see the last blonde, the one Beast Boy had almost kissed, standing forlorn at their table. She twisted her hands uneasily.

"You're his teammates, right?"

Cyborg glanced up at her voice, gray eye going hard. "What the hell are they doing?"

She twisted her head away, feet planted to flee, but Raven stepped in front of her, eyes bleeding red. The girl squeaked in fear, backing hastily away from the angered half-demon, only to crash into Cyborg.

It only took a glance back to send her into a tailspin of information. "It's what they do. They track down guys, getting them high on lust, then bring them down so far that their confidence is shattered. It's like her drug, their pain, and she's getting serious pleasure from him. She's getting kinda attracted to him, which means she just going to bring him down that much harder. She…" the blonde trailed off, her long nails digging into her skin.

"She what?" Raven demanded, standing toe to toe with the girl, despite the fact that she was a good few inches shorter.

But the girl never had a chance to answer, for Beast Boy had made his way toward them, eyes filled with hate. He sat Raven's water down on the table so hard Raven's drink nearly toppled over and stormed out.

* * *

Beast Boy had never been so confused in his entire life. Even Terra, the girl who had pulled his heart in so many confusing directions during her reign in his life, couldn't have left him as uneasy as this girl did now.

One moment she was making out with him (and roving around in his boxers in the middle of a crowded dance floor despite his constant effort at putting a stop to it) then she was breaking away from his mouth and leaning close to his ear, voice smug as she purred, "You're disgusting."

At first, he couldn't comprehend her meaning. He was still trying to digest the fact that she was slipping her hand below the waistband of his jean despite his constant squirming to really take note of what she was saying.

He snapped to attention when she jerked away from him painfully, backing up until he was able to see every inch of her. She wiped her hand across her mouth and screwed up her eyes, almost as if she had tasted something foul. Almost as once, his mind registered her words. His heart collapsed in his chest.

He watched almost numbly as her little clique of college girls swarmed around her like flies to rotting meat, giggling and tittering behind manicured hands.

"Oh my God, I can't believe you actually _kissed_ him!"

"That was so disgusting! I can't believe you risked _rabies_ just for a little money. You're a lot braver that I am. I wouldn't kiss him for a million dollars, much less a measly fifty. He's so _ugly_!"

"Oh, how could you stand to kiss him? I mean, look at him. He's such a freak! No one in their right mind would ever want him. Even his ears are repulsive. I don't see how he could stand to look in a mirror looking the way he does."

"Gah, just thinking about being anywhere near him makes me want to gag! His poor teammates. I feel sorry for them, having to look at_ that_ during every waking moment."

"It's no wonder he's never had a reported girlfriend. With looks like that, not even a mother can love him. Guess that's why she left him like she did."

"You poor thing. I'd have to cut out my tongue if I had to kiss him like that."

Beast Boy felt as if he were disembodied, watching the people around him with a detached feeling of someone who no longer had the comfort of a body to reside in. He could only stand there, taking blow after blow until what was left of his heart—of his self-esteem—cracked and crumbled like a derelict building finally brought crumbling to its foundation. He had taken insults with stride before, should have been able to deflect these like he did with Raven, but Julie had left his emotions vulnerable after kissing him with such passion, such lust, such… raw _want_.

Now, as her mob ripped at his mind until it seemed to collapse in on itself, Julie smiled in mock rue, hand placed over her mouth in amusement. She hastily wiped the back of her hand across her lips when all eyes turned on her.

"The only good thing about it is, ladies, is that he was a fast learner. Otherwise, I think I would have thrown up. It was bad enough just looking at the revolting green skin, but having his tongue in my mouth? I never wish that type of torture on anyone of you girls. Come on, I can't stand to look at him anymore."

The girl who had taken Raven's drink from him shoved it roughly into his unresponsive hands, making a sound of disgust in the back of her throat when her skin brushed his. Beast Boy flinched back, the pain crashing down on him in waves as his mind took stock of their words. He tried to recoil away from the flood of degradation ripping through his being, shoulders hunching, body slumping as he bit down on his lip so hard blood was drawn.

Julie watched him as the last of her girls weaseled their way to the bar, shoving away other patrons to make room for their numbers. She smiled, arms folded over her chest. She sighed almost inaudibly, slithering her way back to him so she was pressed against him once again. It took all of Beast Boy's will not to swipe at her, to knock that smug look right off her face.

Anger was starting smother his pain, locking it away in the recess of his mind, bringing forth a paralyzing fury that contracted his muscles into taut ropes of sinew. His hands fisted around Raven's water bottle, clenching around the plastic until it threatened to burst at the seams.

She lifted his chin in her hands, fingers caressing his clenched jaw as she carefully noted the low, animalistic growl that rumbled in his throat. His eyes had sharpened into emerald steel, boring down into hers with an intensity that sent shivers rippling through her stomach.

"You know," she stated softly, "I almost wish you weren't so revolting to look at. I really would have enjoyed a night with you. You seem like you could… _satisfy_… my appetites." She fluttered her eyelashes up at him before pushing her weight off of his chest.

She gave another heavy sigh as her eyes lingered on the waist band of his jeans before walking off, immediately heaving a fake tremor of disgust as she was once again surrounded by her flock of brainless females.

Beast Boy had somehow passed the point of pain. Now, all he could feel was the blinding rage, the urge to rip something–_her_–apart. He wanted to sink he claws into skin, wanted to see that damn smile ripped off her face, wanted to rip out that cold, unfeeling organ she called a heart and squeeze it in his hands…

Beast Boy caught himself before he could move in her direction. He had to get out of here before he did something stupid. He knew, if he stayed here a moment longer, there would be nothing that would stop him from taking a swipe at her. Beast Boy let the rage drain painfully from his body, flinching when the agony once again resurfaced and he was left with the numbing truth.

Ignoring the troubled gazes of the dancers who had the opportunity to overhear, Beast Boy spun on his heel and marched toward Raven. He barely gifted her with a look as he slammed her water down on the table.

He shoved past Raven when she made a move to stop him, though he did catch her shoulders before she stumbled. He couldn't look her in the eye, however, but found his hands tightening against her skin. He jerked back before he could bruise, and, without a backward glance at the people who stopped to watch a hero fall, pushed his way out of the club.

Julie's laughter followed him out.


End file.
